by Lydia Huth

Administrative assistant Kaye Orander has known about AGAPE of N.C. since she was in college. However, it was after thirty years working as a corporate law paralegal that she grew interested in working for a nonprofit and found her way to AGAPE’s door. “AGAPE,” Orander said, was “right there in my church—right on my doorstep.” While there were no staff positions available at that time, volunteers were needed, and so she stepped up.

When Orander was asked to move from volunteering into her current staff position, it was daunting. “I said, ‘I will try,’” Orander recalled. “It has definitely gotten me out of my comfort zone and stretched me.”

In her day to day work, Orander performs a wide variety of administrative duties. She works with the technical side of donations, through populating the growing donor management database and tracking financial contributions. However, you will also find her alongside volunteers, taking part in sending thank-you notes to AGAPE’s supporters, collecting and delivering backpacks with overnight essentials for foster kids, and helping churches plan how to celebrate the foster families in their midst.

Interacting with the donors and volunteers, Orander says, is one of her favorite parts of working with AGAPE. “Working with AGAPE’s supporters has been a joy. I get to see and encourage their enthusiasm, and I get to listen to their stories,” she said. “I’ve been told about unplanned pregnancies, counseling, and how that’s impacted people and their families. I believe some people just need to share their stories, and I feel privileged and honored to hear them.”